Soup’s Off

A new bill would outlaw the shark-fin trade in Oregon.

Oregon could become the second state in
the United States to outlaw the grisly trade of shark fins that go into
Asian delicacy soups selling for up to $40 a bowl in Portland
restaurants.

A bill introduced in
the Legislature by Rep. Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie) would prohibit
possessing, selling, trading or distributing shark fins in Oregon.

“We do not need to be
depleting our fish stocks or participating in inhumane practices that
accommodate foreign markets that have very little impact on our domestic
fishing industry,” Witt says.

Though Congress
approved a similar nationwide ban last December, state-level bills have
also been proposed in Washington and California. Hawaii is the only
state with its own ban.

The
shark-fin trade results in the killing of 73 million sharks worldwide
each year, according to a March 2010 report from Oceana, an
international organization devoted to ocean conservation. Once the
animal’s fins are removed, the living shark is thrown overboard to
drown, starve or be eaten by other fish.

Witt’s House Bill 2838 would not ban shark fishing, just the trade in shark fins.

“Those who choose to fish for sharks can still fish for sharks,” says Witt, whose district includes Astoria.

Local
restaurants listing shark-fin soup on their menus include Ocean City
and Wong’s King Seafood Restaurant, both in Southeast Portland.

Ocean City owner Lisa Fan tells WW
her restaurant’s shark-fin soup doesn’t use real shark fin, but she
doesn’t know what the imitation shark fin is made from. A manager from
Wong’s King (see Rogue of the Week, WW, Aug. 25, 2010) was unavailable at press time. Other employees declined to comment.